News Hound

When good people do good things for dogs, we like to tell you about them. And that's what this story is about - although it almost took an unfortunate twist.

A woman who recently stepped in to rescue a five-legged puppy from being sold to a Coney Island sideshow was facing a possible lawsuit from the sideshow owner who believed he had purchased the dog from its previous owner.

Allyson Siegel, a resident of Charlotte, N.C., didn't want to see the Chihuahua mix puppy live a life as a sideshow curiosity. She wanted to give the dog - whose name she changed from Precious to Lilly - a permanent home and was willing to pay for the surgery to have the fifth leg surgically removed.

John Strong, the owner of the sideshow who put down a $1,000 deposit on Lilly, said he would seek an injunction to prevent Siegel from having Lilly's extra leg amputated. But that didn't stop Siegel. She called a veterinarian and arranged for the surgery anyway.

In an interview with PEOPLE Pets, Siegel said, "Last night I called the surgeon and said, 'Will you take a look at her to see if she's healthy enough, see if you think that she could possibly have the surgery now?' And he did, and she did."

Siegel initially read about the two-month-old puppy in the Charlotte Observer. The story said that Strong had promised to pay Lilly's owner, Calvin Owensby, $3,000 and planned to put the dog in his show along with other animal oddities, some alive and some stuffed, preserved or mummified.

Sounds sick, doesn't it? Siegel thought so, too, and called Owensby to ask what it would take to buy the dog. Owensby said he still wanted $3,000 but also had to return the deposit to Strong. So Siegel offered him $4,000.

The surgery could cost Siegel $2,000, so her investment so far is $6,000 - and could be more if Strong decides to sue. Some people have already sent her donations to help defray the cost.

She's hopeful this will finally end the story.

"In my mind it's kind of over. Just let it be over," she said. "I'm very happy that Lilly is fine and that she's going to be a normal dog and get to have a normal life and not be in a cage. I don't personally have anything against him, Mr. Strong. ... This was really always about Lilly."